Australasian Darters can look quite angular and unattractive to my eye, or they can look stunningly beautiful.
I took this photograph a long time ago and, despite having taken hundreds of photographs of Australasian Darters, it is still my favourite. This is a female darter, her colours are softer and warmer than the males. Darters quite often sit in this pose but don’t often have their feathers fluffed up like this, catching the light and standing out from a fully blurred background. I also like the way her bill is partly open, with the tiny fringe of white feathers visible beneath her gular pouch. You might be able to discern the serrations on her bill which enable her to grip fish so firmly that they are unable to escape.
This week’s post is shorter than usual as I’ve had some surgery on my wrist so am trying to type while one arm is in a sling and the other is sporting a massive bruise from the IV line. I’m not in pain though and hopefully all will be well by next week.
Happy birding, Kim
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